His True Emerald Loyalties
by ausername
Summary: What if it was not love for Harry's mother that kept Snape loyal to Dumbledore? What if it was love for Harry's time-traveling best friend? AU, but paralleling DH.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: It all came from the genius, JKR. In two cases I have used her exact words, which have been _italicized_. The page numbers are from the American edition of Deathly Hallows. ( ... indicates I skipped a bit to keep this succinct.)

This story takes a scene from Deathly Hallows and puts it into another universe that parallels that of DH. If you haven't read DH, it may be hard to understand.

Enjoy!

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From Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:

_P. 657_

_Harry took off the Invisibility Cloak and looked down upon the man he hated, whose widening black eyes found Harry as he tried to speak. Harry bent over him, and Snape seized the front of his robes and pulled him close._

_A terrible rasping, gurgling noise issued from Snape's throat._

"_Take...it….Take...it…."_

_Something more than blood was leaking from Snape. Silvery blue, neither gas nor liquid, it gushed form his mouth and his ears and his eyes, and Harry knew what it was, but did not know what to do—_

_A flask, conjured from thin air, was thrust into his shaking hands by Hermione. Harry lifted the silvery substance into it with his_

_P. 658_

_wand. When the flask was full to the brim, and Snape looked as though there was no blood left in him, his grip on Harry's robes slackened._

"_Look...at...me…" he whispered._

_The green eyes found the black, but after a second, something in the depths of the dark pair seemed to vanish, leaving them fixed, blank, and empty. The hand holding harry thudded to the floor, and Snape moved no more._

_P. 661_

_The Great Hall seemed to fly away, become smaller, shrink, as Harry reeled backward from the doorway….He turned away and ran up the marble staircase…. The castle was completely empty; even the ghosts seemed to have joined the mass mourning in the Great Hall. Harry ran without stopping, clutching the crystal flask of Snape's last thoughts, and he did not slow down until he reached the stone gargoyle guarding the headmaster's office._

"_Password?"_

"_Dumbledore!" said harry without thinking, because it was he whom he yearned to see, and to his surprise the gargoyle slid aside, revealing the spiral staircase behind….._

…_.Harry glanced hopelessly at Dumbledore's deserted frame, which hung directly behind the headmaster's chair, then turned his back on it. The stone Pensieve lay in the cabinet where it had always been; Harry heaved it onto the desk and poured Snape's memories into the wide basin with its runic markings around the edge. To escape into someone else's head would be a blessed relief….Nothing that even Snape had left him could be worse than his own thoughts. The memories swirled, silver white and strange, and without hesitating, with a feeling of reckless abandonment, as though this would assuage his torturing grief, Harry dived._

_

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_

He found himself in a corridor off the Great Hall, a few feet behind a figure who he guessed could only be a young Severus Snape, unattractive and unkempt as ever. Snape looked to be about seventeen, and as there was no light coming from the windows on the left side of the hallway, Harry guessed he was roaming the halls after hours.

A crash resounded from somewhere up ahead, and Harry flinched at the sound of breaking class. Snape broke into a jog and rounded the corner, coming to a sudden halt as the entrance hall came into view.

The dark grey stone of the floor was covered in emeralds, glistening in the low light of the recently-illuminated torches. Against the wall, Harry could see the shattered remains of the Slytherin hourglass, the broken shell still swinging slowly on its axis.

Snape hurried forward, careful not to slip on the emeralds that littered the stones. Harry, sensing that Snape could see something he couldn't, picked his way across the hall as well. When he was only a few yards away, he noticed the figure slumped under the remains of the hourglass's stand.

To say he was surprised when he recognized the figure as Hermione Granger would be a gross understatement.

She groaned and pushed some of the debris of her. Snape hesitantly held out a hand, and she reached for it, then pulled back quickly, letting out a shout of surprise.

"Snape!" she said, and Harry sensed her fear, but saw a sense of understanding flit across her face.

"Are you alright?" was his response. Then, "Do I know you?"

"I'm fine," she responded, and lifted herself out of the rubble. "I'm…. I'm a sixth-year. Gry--Ravenclaw. Hermione Granger."

"Severus Snape," he said coldly.

Brushing of her robes, Hermione added, "I'm so sorry I broke the hourglass! Though it wasn't me…." she trailed off, looking around the room.

"What do you mean 'It wasn't me?'" Snape snarled, "Who else would it have been?"

"Someone hexed me…. I think it was Avery, or maybe Goyle…." Hermione broke off, trying to remedy her mistake. "I mean, I must have been sleepwalking."

Snape raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing.

"I just be off to my dormitory then," Hermione said, clearly worried that Snape would dock points for her behavior. Harry realized he had been gaping ever since he recognized his friend, and closed his mouth, allowing himself a small smile. Her recovery had been impressive.

"Yes. Goodnight." Snape turned on his heel and stalked off in the direction of the dungeons. Hermione leaned against the wall and put her head in her hands, and the scene changed.

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A/N: Tell me what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

Harry was standing behind Snape's desk in his old charms classroom. A professor he didn't recognize stood at the front of the classroom, with Hermione beside him. He was speaking…

"I'd like to introduce you to Miss Hermione Granger, an exchange student from Australia. Please show Miss Granger a warm welcome, and help her find her way these first few days."

Hermione blushed, and, sensing a dismissal, looked around the room for a place to sit. She frowned slightly, noticing that the only vacant seat was situated next to Snape. Sighing almost imperceptibly, she set her books on the table and dropped into the chair next to him.

Snape turned to her. "I thought you said you were a sixth-year Ravenclaw?"

"I…. I was… But then they tested me and decided I'd be better off with the seventh years," she said, slightly nervous.

"When were you sorted? Not with the first years; I would have noticed."

"Last night, in Dumbledore's office."

"Oh. Then how did you end up wandering the school at eleven last night?"

"I go lost." Hermione looked down.

"I got lost," Snape imitated, grinning, "The excuse for everything."

"Well what were you doing up then?" Hermione retorted.

"Patrolling."

"Patrolling?" Hermione said, giving him a sly grin.

"Oh, give it up."

Hermione gave a small yet dramatic "hmph!" and crossed her arms over her chest, turning her focus to the professor. Every once in a while, either she or Snape ventured a glance at the other, sizing each other up.

Just as the lecture started to become boring, the classroom distorted, and Harry found himself in a new memory.

Hermione was sitting at a table in the library with two other students whom Harry assumed to be Ravenclaws, judging by their robes. Snape was leaning against a bookshelf, arms crossed, reading.

"You mean you've taken polyjuice potion, Hermione?" the blond Ravenclaw girl asked.

"I… well…. Yeah," Hermione responded. Harry smiled.

"But it's practically illegal!"

"Not in Australia." Hermione said, almost too quickly. Harry guessed she had been rehearsing.

"Still…. Turning into someone else?"

"You mean you'd never try it if you had the opportunity? It's fascinating…"

"Never!"

"Honestly?" Hermione said, skeptically.

"Are you implying I'm a coward?" the girl retorted.

"Maybe." Hermione said plainly.

The blond girl glared at Hermione and hastily picked up her books. The other Ravenclaw followed suit, and Hermione was left by herself, flushed.

Snape closed his book and walked slowly to her table.

"May I join you?"

Hermione refrained from looking at him. "Sure."

"You don't sound Australian," he remarked after a few moments.

"My parents are British." Clearly, Hermione was not in a mood for conversation.

"Ok." Snape drummed his fingers on the table. "What were those two saying? Didn't appear to be an enjoyable conversation."

Hermione gave a snort. "They just seem to all be cowards. Afraid to break the rules. Honestly, I wouldn't imagine Ravenclaws to be scaredy-cats--knowing Luna and all, but…"

"Luna?"

"Never mind."

"You're not very good at lying, you know."

"Shut up." She shut her book dramatically and reached for another.

"Ok." Snape rested his chin on his hands and looked at her, pensive. "Besides that, you could have been in Slytherin."

"In Slytherin!? I would not!" She huffed.

"Why not?"

"I…. I don't like snakes," she lied.

"Hah." Snape chuckled, but appeared to decide that he wouldn't be able to get more of an answer than that. "How do you know so much about Hogwarts, anyway? You've only been here a couple days."

"I read about it in _Hogwarts, A History."_

"Hm… A bookworm who hates cowards… definitely Slytherin."

Hermione simply raised her eyebrows at him, and continued pretending to read the book in front of her.

Snape was fiddling with his hands, looking down.

"I suppose I'll let you get on with your reading then." He started to pick up his books and shove them haphazardly into his bag.

"What?" Hermione looked up. "Oh, you don't have to leave, just stop pestering me with questions."

Snape grinned. "Ok."

Harry, meanwhile, was trying to figure out how in the bloody hell Hermione had managed to go back twenty years in time, and why Snape was showing him these specific memories.

The next memory was much later, Harry noted, because it was sleeting outside. He found himself in the Slytherin common room, of all places, watching as Snape and Hermione sat across from each other at a book-strewn table in front of the fireplace, immersed in their work. The memory faded, and they were back in the library, perusing the shelves for some book or another, laughing as they did so. Another memory appeared, this time set in Hogsmeade. Harry watched as Hermione and Snape strolled down the street, peering in shop windows and chatting. Simply put, seeing his best friend on amicable terms with Snape made him sick, no matter that Snape had just been killed… well, twenty years later.

Hogsmeade faded, and the Hogwarts grounds reappeared. Snape and Hermione, wearing their respective houses' colors on their scarves (it was strange to see Hermione in blue), strolled around the lake, kicking up leaves in their wake. Harry moved closer to hear their conversation.

"...can I ask you something?" Hermione was saying.

"Yes."

"Um… I know this is personal, but why do you hang around Avery and Mulciber and Yaxley so much? They don't seem like very nice people…"

Snape was silent, though Harry could see him giving her a pointed glare.

"Why do you care who I spend time with?"

Hermione bit her lip. "I'm not trying to pry, I just think they're trouble, that's all."

"You think I want to join a pack of delinquants?"

Hermione stared at him. "Of course not! I just wondered what you see in them."

"All I see is that you're prying and I don't care for that."

"Oh." Hermione went back to kicking the leaves at her feet, and the scene changed.

Harry and Snape were waiting outside the door of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, while Hermione spoke to the professor inside.

"...full-bodied Patronus?" the professor was asking.

"Yes," said Hermione humbly.

"Then I don't find it necessary for you to sit in on the next few classes, as I will be introducing the subject of Patronuses."

"But I..." Hermione said, slightly distressed.

"I'll give you some extra credit work, if you'd like," her teacher said, smiling.

"Yes, please, sir," she replied simply.

"Very well. I'll have the assignment written out for you tomorrow, then. Good day."

"Thank you, professor!" Hermione gathered her books from a nearby desk and walked briskly out of the classroom, smiling at Snape as she approached.

"You can produce a full-bodied Patronus?" he said, incredulous.

"Yeah... at my school we learn them fifth year," Hermione grinned faintly, and Harry knew she was thinking about their DA lessons.

"Can you show me?" Snape asked, eager.

"Sure." Hermione looked around and, noting the halls were empty, pursed her lips and then clearly spoke the incantation: "_Expecto Patronum."_

A shimmering silver otter flew out of the end of her wand and swam through the air to the end of the hall, where it turned around and began paddling back towards them, vanishing half-way.

"Wow," was all Snape managed.

"It took practice," said Hermione, clearly proud of herself.

"I wonder what form mine will take..." Snape said, fiddling with his wand in his pocket.

"Otters are my favorite animal, so it's no mystery that my Patronus chose that form." Hermione replied.

"Otters, really?" Snape raised his eyebrows at her.

"Yeah. We have them in the pond behind my house...." she looked over at him. "Do you have a favorite animal?"

"Not really...." Snape said, though he appeared pensive.

"Dang, we're late for potions!" Hermione said after glancing at her watch. Snape re-shouldered his bag and followed her to the dungeons.

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A/N: I love Ravenclaws, but I needed a reason for Hermione to find them less interesting than Snape, whom she already disliked. I decided that being in Gryffindor for seven years has worn off on her, and she gets annoyed with cowards. Ravenclaws are specifically known for their intellect, not their courage.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry was now in what he assumed was Snape's bedroom, cringing at that thought. Snape was at his desk, chewing the end of his quill and humming slightly. Harry moved closer to see what he was writing….

_Hermione,_

_Things at home are boring, as you'd expect; I wish my parents hadn't made me come back. I've been trying to ignore them, which works out pretty well—you know me. I hope Hogwarts is not dreary; it seemed like more students were staying than usual, so I trust you're not alone…_

He bit his bottom lip and reached over to pick up a folded parchment from the top of a pile of books. Harry leaned over to read…

_Dear Severus,_

_Merry Christmas! I hope you are having an OK time with your parents; I won't_ _go as far to hope you are enjoying it, because of all you've told me about them._

_I do wish you were here at Hogwarts…_

The letter went on, but Harry looked away, not wanting to read more. He glanced again at the letter Snape had been writing and caught the words:

_I miss you._

Harry swore under his breath, then breathed deeply as the room started to change around him.

He was in the moonlit hospital wing, watching as Snape opened the door, and after giving a furtive glance, slipped through into the empty ward. He hurried to the only occupied bed and Harry followed, knowing what he would find.

Sure enough, the still figure on the bed was Hermione, mussed hair spread out on the pillow, her pale. Snape sat down, flinching when the bed creaked, and took her hand.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry… I don't know what came over Mulciber and Avery… I thought they were my friends." He shook his head. "I can't believe they hexed you." He stayed by her side, her limp hand resting in his own, the rhythm of his breathing matching hers, though Harry guessed he didn't notice. After a few minutes, he placed her hand on her chest, sighed, and rose to quietly exit the hospital wing.

Then Harry was speeding through memories once more… Snape and Hermione throwing snowballs at each other, Hermione sneaking up on Snape in the hallway to surprise him, Snape and Hermione strolling by the edge of the Forbidden Forest, Hermione leaning against Snape's knees as they read in one of the courtyards, Snape watching Hermione as she tried to catch falling petals from the apple tree at the base of Gryffindor tower, Hermione giving Snape a glare as he tried to hand her a note during potions ("Ha!" said Harry aloud to no one)....

He could tell he was back in the Slytherin dorms, but around him everything was dark. He heard footsteps and felt around for something to ground him, finally grabbing onto what seemed to be a chair. Suddenly, light filled the room, and he saw Hermione bent over Snape, who lay on the bed, looking furious.

"What are you doing?!"

Hermione looked petrified. "I was… I just wanted to see if you'dtakenthedarkmark."

"Well, did you find what you came for?" he snarled.

"Yes. And I'm sorry," she said firmly.

"It's none of your business if I take the Mark or not. Go away and let me sleep."

Hermione opened her mouth as if to say something, then promptly closed it again. Opening it again, she said "Fine," then proceeded to leave the room.

The next memories showed Hermione studying, or walking, or eating, always with Snape watching her closely yet furtively. Harry assumed she had been giving him the silent treatment after finding out about the Mark.

In spite of Harry's hopes, they were back to interacting a few memories later. It was breakfast time, and Hermione looked absolutely bored. She was flanked by eagerly conversing Ravenclaws, yet she looked ready to fall asleep.

Yet Hermione jumped up, alert, when black and white spotted barn owl landed in front of her, and offered her the message on its leg. Muttering her thanks, Hermione took the note and opened it. Harry needed to stand right behind her to read it, as it was clear she was trying to hide it from prying Ravenclaw eyes.

_I'm sorry._

_SS_

Despite the fact that the note lacked in length and eloquence, Hermione gave a brief grin and looked over at the Slytherin table. When Snape saw her eyes searching for him, he broke into a pleading smile. Harry thought he might be sick.

Hermione pocketed the letter and stood up, looking back once at Snape. He seemed to take this as a request, and stood up as well, swinging his legs over the bench to follow her.

"Thanks for the note." She said when he had caught up. "I… I guess I'm sorry, too."

"We're friends, then?"

Hermione put a finger to her chin. "Yes. I still don't support your decision, but I'll stop ignoring you."

"Ok."

"Besides, I couldn't deal with seeing you spend so much time with those blokes. I still don't understand--"

"Hermione, give it up. I know they slight your blood status, but you should just ignore them." Snape said, slightly impatient.

Hermione sighed, but didn't say more.

For the umpteenth time, Harry wished he could speak to her. He wanted to tell her that dissing Snape's friends wouldn't keep him from serving Voldemort now or later on. She couldn't change the future, so why try?

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A/N: If you feel so inclined, leave a review!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! They encourage me wonderfully and make me smile.

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The next memory was that of Snape in Hermione's rooms, chatting as she packed her suitcase. Judging by the sunshine and the plethora of students strolling the grounds, Harry guessed it was mid June, after exams.

"Where did you say you were going for the summer?"

"I'm going to my aunt's house in Wales, then I'll be back at my parents house in London." Hermione said, her lie well-rehearsed.

"Uh huh. D'you think we could maybe see each other sometime over break?" Snape asked, a slight tremor in his voice.

"Sure, that'd be fun!" Harry wasn't fooled by Hermione's smile; he knew she was worried. In truth, she had nowhere to go during the summer holidays.

"You shouldn't come to my house; my parents don't like visitors, but maybe I could…. maybe come visit you?" Snape said nervously.

Hermione placed a pile of carefully-folded sweaters into her trunk, then proceeded to bunch up pairs of socks. "Um… maybe we should just meet in Diagon Alley or something."

"Are you saying your parents might not like me?" said Snape, hurt.

"No! Of course not, Sev. I… just think it would be more fun to meet in Diagon Alley than at my house. There's not much to do there." She tossed the socks into the trunk.

"Ok." Harry could still see hurt on Snape's face. "Hermione?"

"Yeah?" she didn't look up from where she was kneeling by her trunk.

"I…" He turned his head toward the window, clearly agitated. "Never mind."

"What?"

"Never mind. Just that I'll miss you this summer."

"Oh." Hermione's face fell slightly, and Harry knew she wanted to know what was on Snape's mind. "I'll miss you, too."

"I'm going to go… pack." Harry could almost feel the awkwardness between them.

"One moment." Hermione pushed herself up from the floor, dusted of her skirt, and walked towards him. She hesitated slightly, then swiftly placed her hands on his shoulders and kissed his lips.

Harry immediately started shouting all the worst words he knew, and began kicking Hermione's trunk until his foot started throbbing. He kept shouting until his voice was hoarse, but by that time, Snape had his hands entwined in Hermione's hair and was very contentedly kissing her back. Disgusted, Harry sat on Hermione's bed and fiddled with his hands, twisting his fingers together. He gave a yelp and jumped up as Hermione practically pulled Snape down on top of him.

A few swears later, Harry realized that he was no longer in Ravenclaw tower. He looked up from his tangled fingers and noticed a familiar and disgustingly handclasped couple promenading a few yards in front of him. He grunted and stood up to follow them.

The couple turned a corner and stopped abruptly; Harry caught up to them and looked around to see Avery standing a few feet away.

"Hey, Snape," said Avery, with a hint of coldness in his voice. Harry guessed it wasn't out of malice, but simply a characteristic of Death Eaters.

"Evening, Avery."

Avery's eyes flicked down to Snape and Hermione's entwined hands and smirked.

"So you've attached yourself to the Mudblood, now?"

Snape released Hermione's hand and carefully fingered his wand in his pocket.

"It's none of your business."

"Oh, but I think it is, Snape. What would the Dark Lord think?"

"You wouldn't."

"I would." Avery had a proud smile on his face.

At that, Snape drew his wand and immediately sent his former friend flying across the hall.

Hermione yelled, "Severus, don't!" and ran to Avery.

"Always caring for the less fortunate," Harry muttered, but he followed her.

Avery groaned, attempted to lift himself up, but slumped to the ground again.

"I think…. My arm… I think it's broken…"

Hermione came closer, but stayed her distance.

"Sev, I think we should get him to the hospital wing…" she said, looking back at Snape. In that moment, Avery shot to his feet, held out his wand, and, grinning, whispered a curse. As soon as she had turned her head to look again at Avery, Hermione was flying backwards towards the Slytherin hourglass.

"Oh, no," breathed Harry.

There was a crash as Hermione's body hit the hourglass, breaking the protective case and setting the glass spinning, spilling emeralds as it turned on its axis. Snape ran to her side and reached out for her--

--but before he could touch her, Hermione was gone.

Spinning on his heel, Snape snarled, "Avery, I'll--"

But Avery was already running down a far corrider. "I'll never forgive you for this!" Snape screamed after him, then fell to his knees, bruising his shins on the emeralds scattered around him.

Harry knew that somehow Snape was aware of where Hermione had come from, and how she had gone back, because he didn't call out or search for her; he simply knelt there, resigned.

A few moments later, Snape jumped to his feet and ran down the corridor he had come from. A lightly startled Harry regained his bearings, then followed close behind, dodging the students that were making their way to the end of year feast. He wondered what they would do when they discovered the broken hourglass…

But there was no time for speculating.

Snape rounded a corner and came to a sudden halt in front of the stone gargoyle that marked the headmaster's office.

"I need… to speak… to the headmaster!" he said, out of breath.

A few moments later, the gargoyle blinked, then began revolving on its axis to reveal the moving stone steps that Harry knew so well. Snape ran up the staircase and, after a brief knock on the door at the top, pushed it open and walked inside.

"Mister Snape--" started Dumbledore.

"Hermione Granger… has gone back…"

"Gone back, Severus?" Dumbledore leaned over his desk.

"...To the future." At these words, Snape collapsed into a chair and tried to catch his breath.

Dumbledore's face lit up in understanding. "Ah, so she told you."

"I guessed." Snape kept his face aimed at the floor.

The headmaster paused, looking worried. "How did she go back?"

"The same way she came… the Slytherin Hourglass." Snape's voice was becoming more urgent by the minute. "And Headmaster, I have something to say and it's difficult but I needed to talk to you."

"Yes?" Dumbledore sat back down and folded his hands in his lap, a calm image of patience.

"I took the Dark Mark."

"I am aware of that, Severus."

"But I don't want to fight for them. I want to work with you. I'll spy. I just--"

"Calm, dear boy."

"Don't want to be a Death Eater any more." Snape hung his head and unclenched the fists he had unknowingly made.

"I understand." Dumbledore gave a brief smile that went unnoticed by Snape, though Harry saw it.

Snape breathed a sigh of relief and sank deeper into the chair.

"Though I do believe it is time for the leaving feast."

"What?" Snape's head jolted up as he realized that in spite of everything, life did, indeed, continue.

"We wouldn't want to be late." Dumbledore stood up from his chair and gave Snape a small grin, then waved his hand towards the door.

"Shall we?"

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A/N: It's not just a coincidence that Severus mentioned Hermione's departure and his wish to work for the Light in the same breath... and although he may not realize it, Dumbledore knows. Of course, Dumbledore knows everything.

And I apologize if young Snape is somewhat OOC. I took the liberty of making him less like old Snapey when he's around Hermione partly because he's young, and partly because it would be harder to write their romance if he didn't express any sentiments.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Had to include the next scene. Snape fans know why.

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_They were back in Dumbledore's office, the windows dark, and Fawkes sat silent as Snape sat quite still, as Dumbledore walked around _a much older Snape_, talking…._

"_...Now you tell me you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter—"_

"_But this is touching Severus,"_ _said Dumbledore seriously. "Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?"_

"_For him_?" _shouted Snape_. "_Expecto Patronum!"_

_From the tip of his wand burst_ a silver otter: _She_ _landed on the office floor, _swam_ once across the office, and soared out of the window. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears._

"_After all this time?"_

"_Always." said Snape._

A few moments of disconcerting spinning away from Dumbledore's office, and Harry found himself in what he assumed was Snape's--Professor Snape now--office. The Professor sat at his desk, nibbling the end of his quill and staring out the window at the night sky. Harry tip-toed closer--though he knew it wasn't really necessary to tip-toe--and glanced at the paper on which the end of Snape's quill rested. It appeared to be a letter…

_Dear Hermione,_

_I can't describe what I have felt today. Last week it was a blissful, wonderful shock to see you again after so many years, despite the fact that you are only eleven at the moment._

_Now, having you here is pure torture for me, knowing that you'll never understand until much later, when you finally go back in time. It's painful to not know when I'll see a comprehending Hermione in this time. What hurts most is that it's possible I never will._

_Your Sev_

As if on cue, the room changed, and yet the scene stayed the same. Harry peered over the desk to note another letter; this time, Snape was avidly writing.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I can't believe you've been spending so much time with Potter. And you accused me of my choice of friends! Overall, I wish you weren't friends with him because of the trouble and danger he attracts…_

Harry was whirled along through time again and again, each time getting a quick glance at a letter…

_Dear Hermione,_

_Merlin, I nearly had a heart attack today upon hearing about your petrification. The only thing that kept me sane was knowing that nothing can kill you until you head back to my time, so the basilisk couldn't do you permanent harm. You will get well, and for that I am so thankful…_

_Dear Hermione,_

_I was awestruck seeing you at the Yule Ball. With Krum, no less! I wonder what you could honestly see in him. I left because I couldn't bear to see you so beautiful, yet so ignorant of our relationship--_

_Of course I don't blame you for that…._

_Dear Hermione,_

_Tonight may be one of the worst nights of my life. If I thought I had your trust before, I certainly don't have it now. I wish I could confess, wish I could tell you that I only killed Dumbledore on his orders. After knowing you, I am absolutely incapable of working for Voldemort. Can't you see?_

_Of course you can't. So when there is no one to rely on, I rely simply on my memories of you. They will suffice for now, until you come back…._

The next memory was set in the Headmaster's office, so Harry guessed it must have been some time in the last year during Snape's time as headmaster.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I'm so eager and anxious I can hardly write. Somehow, I know you will go back soon. All I can do is wait and wonder and tell you--though only in writing--how much I love you._

_Your Sev_

_

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A/N: I first wrote the following for the "After all this time?" scene, then I decided that a Patronus would be more powerful, and I also like keeping the parallels between the SSLE relationship in the book and the SSHG relationship in this story. The only problem would be the scene in the forest, when the doe lead Harry to the sword of Gryffindor... Let's say that in this Universe, an otter lead Harry, and when he got back to the tent, there was much confusion on all parts....

_********_

_They were back in Dumbledore's office, the windows dark, and Fawkes sat silent as Snape sat quite still, as Dumbledore walked around a much older Snape, talking…._

"_...Now you tell me you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter—"_

"_But this is touching Severus," said Dumbledore seriously. "Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?"_

"_For __him__?" shouted Snape, and he brought his hands up to his collar, and frantically began unbuttoning the tiny buttons that kept it tight around his neck, to reveal a thing leather cord._

_Wrapped in thin silver wire at the end of the cord was a single, glistening emerald._

"_After all this time?"_

"_Always." said Snape._

_********_

This, of course, would negate the need for the scene in which Snape learns the form of Hermione's patronus. I wrote that scene last, after deciding to change this one.

I came up with the title before changing this scene; the emeralds had a bit more importance then.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: A millions thanks for the reviews! You all make me happy.

Now we're moving out of Harry's POV for a short while...

* * *

Hermione was running out the doors of the Great Hall, throwing curses at every masked being in her sight, trying to protect herself while bolts of magical light skimmed her legs and whizzed past her head. After stunning a masked Death Eater she didn't recognize, she spun around--

--to find herself face-to-face with a very unmasked Avery.

"It's Miss Mudblood, isn't it?" he said, sneering.

Hermione simply tightened her grip on her wand, backing up as he advanced.

"You've got Potter's Mudblood, Avery?" came a voice to her right. Hermione guessed it was Goyle, but she didn't dare turn her head.

"That's it, come out into the open where we can kill you cleanly," Avery said, a wicked smile playing on his lips.

"Cleanly? Ha!" came the voice from her right. Hermione was sure now it was Goyle. She glanced at the glistening Gryffindor hourglass a few feet away, as if it would give her reassurance.

Wiping the sweat from her face, she approached Avery. In one smooth movement, her wand was up and she yelled "Stupify!" to watch him fall to the ground. Before she could think, she felt a curse hit her on the back, and was momentarily thrown to her knees.

Biting her cheek and ignoring the pain she stood up and began shooting spells in all directions, not wanting to turn her back on either of her attackers. More Death Eaters, order members, and students had begun filling the entrance hall, and her vision became chaotic.

Then all of a sudden she was flying, hit by a curse in the bottom of her legs, and her limbs were flailing in the air, and bolts of light flew past her eyes, and then she was falling, and there was glass breaking and the sound of hundreds of emeralds hitting the floor and rolling in all directions.

And then all the chaos disappeared.

* * *

Ron saw Hermione crash into the Slytherin hourglass and ran to her side, abandoning his injured attacker.

"Hermione!" he yelled, grabbing her wrist.

But her wrist disappeared.

Or did it?

It must have been the curse that had hit his shoulder earlier, Ron thought. How else could he have felt Hermione "flicker" away?

"Hermione, are you alright? Say something!" he pleaded, fearful.

"Sev? Severus!" was the unexpected reply.

"Wha?"

"I'm back?" Hermione looked distraught. "Oh, Merlin. Oh…" she began feebly shouting curses Ron would never have imagined her to use.

"It's ok." He didn't know what to do to help her; but he knew they were in danger of being hit by any of the curses flying around the hall. "Let's get away from here…"

"Away… I need to go!" Hermione sprang to her feet, ignoring the bits of broken glass stuck in her arms, and bolted across the hall and out the doors of the Entrance Hall into the cool night.

"Hermione!" Ron yelled once again, but before he could catch up with her, Goyle had him cornered. He ground his teeth and prepared himself to fight once more.

* * *

A/N: Coming up... Two alternate endings. The first for the optimist, the second for those who don't mind sad endings.


	7. Ending 1

A/N: Here's ending 1 of 2. Short and sweet.

Update 6-Feb-09: After reading some thoughtful reviews, I considered adding on a Hermione POV scene to this chapter. It is quite short, and I know that many (like myself) would like to see more of their happy reunion. Most of the story has been written from Harry's POV, and it feels out of place and too personal to write Hermione's POV when she is with Snape. Apologies to anyone who wished to read that scene; who knows, I may decide later on that it fits.

* * *

Harry knew exactly where to find her. When the battle was won, the Death Eaters rounded up and the injuries examined, he snuck out under the invisibility cloak to the base of the Weeping Willow.

"Wingardium leviosa," he whispered, too tired to attempt a non-verbal spell, and a pebble close to the ground rose to press the knot above the entrance to the tunnel. One more unnecessarily wary glance around him, and Harry was in the tunnel, crouching to avoid scraping his head.

He seemed to walk for hours before he reached the Shack, but he knew he needed to keep going; he had to retrieve Hermione.

Finally he felt his way to the trap door, and, lifting it up slowly as to not frighten his friend, made his way out. The shack was dark, so he lit his wand and advanced towards the place he had seen Snape die.

No one was there.

Avoiding the dark, congealing blood on the floor, Harry made his way to the far side of the room, where a pile of boards lay haphazardly on the floor. He glanced out the window at the moon.

Hadn't all the windows in the Shrieking Shack been boarded up long ago?

Harry looked again, and, sure enough, someone had pried off the boards that sealed the open window from the elements. A short drop was all that separated the windowsill from the ground. Harry rested his arms on the splintery sill and looked out across the moonlit landscape.

Halfway down the hill walked a wizard and a witch making their way slowly, carefully, deliberately, to the town, their hands clasped and lightly swinging back and forth with the rhythm of their footsteps.


	8. Ending 2

A/N: For those who don't need a sweet ending.

* * *

Harry knew he needed to talk to her. Hermione was sitting on a windowsill in an abandoned hallway, staring down at the undulating branches of the Weeping Willow as she twirled her wand lightly in her hands.

"Hermione?"

"Please don't talk to me." She didn't bother to look up.

"Hermione, I know what's wrong--"

"No, you don't." She said firmly.

"In fact, I do."

"Please, just go away."

"Hermione, he wouldn't have wanted you to mope like this."

"I don't care. He's--" Her eyes swept to Harry. "How do you know?"

"The memories he gave me before he…. they were of you." He rested a hand on the window ledge and looked up at her. "Now will you please come with me?"

Hermione wordlessly pocketed her wand and slid off the ledge. Harry slipped an arm around her shoulders and, as if in a sacred ritual, led her up to the headmaster's office.

"Albus Dumbledore," he said confidently.

The stone gargoyle didn't move.

"But that was--"

"Severus Snape," came Hermione's soft, trembling voice from his side. The gargoyle twisted aside and they quietly climbed the staircase and entered the office. Nothing had changed since Harry had peered into Snape's past, but he was now keenly aware of a small chest in the corner of the room. Taking Hermione's hand, he led her to it.

"Touch your wand to that emerald." He knew his own wand would not open it.

Hermione nodded slightly and pressed the tip of her wand to the glistening green gem. She gave a small gasp when the latch clicked open, but showed no more emotion as she dug her fingers underneath the lid and lifted it.

Inside were the hundreds of letters Harry had seen in Snape's memories.

"He…" Harry cleared his throat. "He started writing to you when he first saw you again at school…"

Hermione nodded again and smiled, though tears ran down her face.

"Thank you."

Harry gave her a small smile and placed a hand on her back before turning to leave.

When he glanced back, she was kneeling in front of the trunk, eyes turned up to the window, seeking condolence from the stars.

* * *

A/N: The end! I thought the letters would add some sweet to the bitter.

Thank you so much for reading!

I meant for there to be more romance between Snape and Hermione, but it turned out that the scene in which they finally kiss happened to take place right before the end of school, so I just left it. Apologies. I did mean for this story to be reasonably short.

Disclaimer: It all belongs to the genius, JKR.

8/25/09: The story's done, but I'm still here and continue to appreciate any reviews you'd like to offer! (hint, hint)


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